Tag: Country

LISTEN: Margo Cilker, “Tehachapi”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Margo Cilker
Hometown: Enterprise, Oregon
Song: “Tehachapi”
Album: Pohorylle (produced by Sera Cahoone)
Release Date: November 5, 2021
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records / Loose Music

In Their Words: “‘Tehachapi’ wasn’t born an exuberant song, but it certainly became one. In my live shows it’s the ace up my sleeve — the song I’m careful not to play too early in the set, lest the audience wait all night expecting another like it. At some point during recording Sera called me, laughing into her phone, saying she put a wild sound on ‘Tehachapi’ and that I was gonna love it. She was right on both counts. Tracking accordion as the foundation of the song just made it too easy to go full Crescent City. One of the most vivid memories I have of making Pohorylle is the memory of watching Sera overdub floor toms to make that instrumental of ‘Tehachapi’ really pop. I can genuinely say it seemed like she was having fun, and as a singer-songwriter, that’s all you can ask for. When I cover a song it’s because for a moment in time, that song is the most sacred thing in my life. ‘Willin” was that to me, so I guess it lives in my soul and came out to play on this number.” — Margo Cilker

Photo credit: Matthew W. Kennelly

Sam Williams Carries His Country Music Legacy to Late Night Debut

Posted on by Editor

On his primetime television debut, Sam Williams makes a powerful statement. Grandson of the legendary Hank Williams and son of Hank Williams Jr., the rising recording artist previewed his debut album, Glasshouse Children with a riveting performance from his grandfather’s old house in Franklin, Tennessee. In an extended one-shot capture, Sam Williams does his name proud with a beautifully-written song called “You Can’t Fool Your Own Blood.” Out of a less-than-usual childhood and recent family tragedy, he has emerged with a style that is both poetic and hard-hitting, pulling no punches in his blend of honesty and vulnerability.

With an undoubtedly heavy burden of expectation, Williams blossoms in this realm of singer-songwriters who are more forlorn than raucous, standing with the likes of artists such as Donovan Woods and Ruston Kelly. Although his television debut was one for the books, perhaps the more exciting news is of the debut full-length record, set for a release later this summer on UMG Nashville. Music from Sam Williams has undoubtedly been a long time in the making, but the good news for us is that it’s almost here. Watch his performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert below.

Photo credit: Claire Joyce

WATCH: Erik Shicotte, “Flint”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Erik Shicotte
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Song: “Flint”
Album: Miss’ry Pacific EP
Release Date: July 16, 2021
Label: Black Country Rock

In Their Words: “Sprawled along the medicine of a two-lane highway, ‘Flint’ came as the soundtrack to my own cinematic heartbreak and the wandering repercussions of ineffective escapism. Drawn over a steady stalwart 4/4 roll, the desperate defiance of a yearning heart plays out over a defining romance cut short, and the humming tires that follow. This is a song about hurtin’ and runnin’ out from under the inescapable and sometimes inexplicable wanting that often comes from the naiveté and hopefulness of a spark. The instrumentation is deafeningly present, and I even let myself chug out a simple pseudo-lead on the Telecaster. If ever there were to be a movie made about me being all sad and pissed off, this is the song that would accompany the southwestern sunrise and cigarette breath as I drive into the golden ether.” — Erik Shicotte

Photo credit: Destiny Frack

WATCH: Jeffery Straker, “Ready to Be Brave”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jeffery Straker
Hometown: Punnichy, Saskatchewan, Canada
Song: “Ready to Be Brave”
Album: Just Before Sunrise
Release Date: May 7, 2021

In Their Words: “At its core ‘Ready to be Brave’ is about reconciling; about mustering up the bravery to have a difficult conversation. In working with director Dylan Hryciuk we came up with this story together and I felt that telling it through a cast that didn’t include me would be an interesting approach. I love the way he brought the song to life visually — there’s so much love in it. And what better way to share such a beautiful story than during Pride month.” — Jeffery Straker

“As a director, there’s nothing more exciting to me than working on a project that you know will matter. It was an amazing experience creating this film with our cast and crew for Jeffery’s deeply personal song “Ready to be Brave.” I really think it’s one of the most important stories I’ve had the privilege of telling and I hope it resonates with people and maybe even sparks positive conversation.” — Dylan Hryciuk

Photo credit: Ali Lauren

WATCH: Leon Creek, “Call It A Day”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Leon Creek
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Call It A Day”
Album: Far From Broken
Release Date: September 21, 2021

In Their Words: “An element of grain is a part of the Leon Creek records, so working with the photographer and videographer Chase Hart, who only shoots on film and Super 8, has been a great fit for us. We were excited by the Super 8 footage Chase got during our first shoot in Santa Barbara, so we wanted to round out the video with some clips from L.A., where we met and started making music together. Bobby Womack’s BW Goes C&W was an inspiration in making our record, so we aspired to have an element of ’70s country western sprinkled throughout the video. Enter Chicago-based editor and animator Jordan Rundle. Jordan added animation and moving graphics, along with some analog visual effects to his final cut of ‘Call It a Day.'” — Leon Creek (Chris Pierce, Matthew Stevens, and Erik Janson)

Photo courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR

LISTEN: Lake and Lyndale, “Crooked Path”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Lake and Lyndale
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Crooked Path”
Album: In the Nude Vol. 1
Release Date: June 25, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Crooked Path’ came to me during a period where I was holding onto a lot of guilt and self-doubt. While I don’t think that your past is something to run from, I also know it’s not healthy to live there. We had just moved to Nashville and this new chapter of life beginning made me realize how important it was to let go of the missteps from the last chapter — so I put them into a song. ‘I took a crooked path to get to the sun / it’s my crooked path that straightened me up.’ This song is for anyone who may need a reminder to embrace every part of the journey.” — Channing Marie, Lake and Lyndale

Photo credit: Kallyn Lagro

LISTEN: Jon Byrd, “I’ll Be Her Only One” (Feat. Paul Niehaus)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jon Byrd (Feat. Paul Niehaus)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “I’ll Be Her Only One”
Album: Me and Paul
Release Date: July 16, 2021

In Their Words: “Me and Paul is dedicated to and a reflection of the people that came to see me and Paul over the years in little watering holes and honky-tonks here in Music City. They are small but mighty, as Billy Block used to say. It’s also dedicated to venues that let us take over their ‘happy hour’ to play the saddest, darkest, most pitiful and tragic songs ever penned. This co-write with Kevin Gordon put me in mind of his longtime music collaborator Joe McMahan. While known mostly as a guitarist/sideman, he’s had a studio for years and produced great work with Kevin and many others. He and Kevin are more on the rockin’ side of things but I was very keen to know what he’d bring to a project like this, so stripped down. And so country. But the Kevin connection is what sent me down this road.” — Jon Byrd

Photo credit: Susan English

LISTEN: Phil Leadbetter, “I Will Always Love You”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Phil Leadbetter
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Song: “I Will Always Love You”
Album: Masters of Slide: Spider Sessions (Various Artists)
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I always loved this tune. I remember the first time I heard Dolly sing this live, it just killed me! Not only her voice, but the lyrics to the song were so heart-wrenching. I saw her many times telling the story about how the song came about. The story is a very sad one. I used to drive around and listen to that song from several of Dolly’s compilation albums, and it always had such a great melody that I kept hearing in my head over and over. I started messing with it, and liked the direction it was going. In 2010, I got a brand new Scheerhorn guitar. I was at a friend of mine’s home, and I was curious to see how the guitar sounded. I started noodling around and playing different songs to see how the new guitar sounded. My friend told me that I should seriously think about keeping the track. The track got lost over the years, but one day while looking through a bunch of files, I found it!! Me and my engineer worked on it, and I had thought about using it a few years back. So happy I saved it so it could be part of the Masters of Slide album.” — Phil Leadbetter

Photo courtesy of Phil Leadbetter

LISTEN: K.C. Jones, “Heat Rises”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: K.C. Jones
Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
Song: “Heat Rises”
Album: Queen of the In Between
Release Date: June 18, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Heat Rises’ was my songwriting attempt at making the ending of a relationship, any relationship really, relatable through the imagery of one night around a dying campfire. Musically, I wanted the ‘campfire song’ sing-along elements to meet the cosmic psychedelia of the strangeness of the universe somewhere in beautiful harmony. I think it’s definitely one of the ‘twangier’ cuts on the album but it’s kind of thematically the one that brings my love of classic country and singing with friends around a campfire together with the dreamier and more outlandish aspects of the way I write songs and the other genres of music that inspire me.” — K.C Jones

Photo credit: Olivia Perillo

WATCH: Rory Feek, “Time Won’t Tell”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Rory Feek
Hometown: Columbia, Tennessee
Song: “Time Won’t Tell” (written by Harlan Howard and Beth Nielsen Chapman)
Album: Gentle Man
Release Date: June 18, 2021
Label: Gaither Music Group

In Their Words: “I first heard this song in the mid-’90s when I was writing for Harlan Howard, and he and Beth wrote it. I’ve always loved it and my wife Joey and I even had it on a shortlist to record for her to sing one day. All these years later, the lyric is even more special to me. It’s been five years since Joey passed, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wonder what life might be like if she was still here. If it was her tucking our little girl Indiana in bed at night and not just me. What the song says is so true… sometimes, ‘time won’t tell.'” — Rory Feek

Photo credit: Michael Hayes